


Still Dreaming

by oubastet



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M, adrift banner corrin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 09:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17640155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oubastet/pseuds/oubastet
Summary: Not the right Corrin, not the one he remembers. Still the one he loves all the same.





	Still Dreaming

**Author's Note:**

> i started writing this right after the adrift banner and lost steam like halfway through ???  
> feels kinda rushed at the end 'cause i didn't wanna drag it on lmao
> 
> as always, thanks for reading XOXO

Contemplating if you even exist is a heavy thought. When you were created from dreams, it’s difficult to even comprehend anything outside of the dream. You live in a small world, imagined by whoever it be that needed you most. And Corrin knew that Azura needed him most, he needed to protect her, but when she wasn’t there what was he to do instead? How could you continue to have purpose when the goal didn’t need to exist anymore? His mind felt clouded, eternally tired, like he was in a constant state of sleep. He almost barely registered being summoned to this so-called “Order of Heroes”, too caught up in his thoughts, unable to comprehend these other people who called themselves his siblings. Only Azura, who welcomed him with open arms, though everyone else here was equally ready to help her with anything. While she clung to both Corrins, which he thought already strange, she was also quite close to their summoner, and others. Many times now he felt lost, his attention far away.

His siblings, which there were many of, all doted on him and his supposed twin sister, but one person stuck out. He watched Corrin closely, his expression sad sometimes but watchful and attentive. It piqued Corrin’s interest. He wasn’t shy one bit, so while locked eyes with this man, Corrin stepped towards him.

“You’re watching me. Am I that weird?” He peeked behind one of the pillars where the man stood, watching him startle. Not by getting sneaked up on, but the familiarity in which Corrin approached. The man said nothing, but folded his arms and tilted his head up in an aloof manner. Corrin studied his face; an eyepatch, a small scar or two, silver hair and light stubble, one bright blue eye half-lidded and strangely so bright in the dark corner of the hall.

“Weird… hmm. Yes, I would say so. You act like you know none of us.” Said the man curtly, glancing over to the Nohrian royals, who were talking with another Corrin wearing what looked like a bathing suit. Corrin followed his gaze, then turned back to the man.

“I don’t. I only remember Azura,… and Camilla, but she’s a little different. My sister, and my mother.” Corrin’s eyes stared at his feet, which he then shuffled a little nervously. “I don’t recall the others. I’m sorry.”

The man huffed, looking away. “It’s not my problem if you don’t remember.” His tone was melancholy despite the crude way he said it.

“I’m Corrin.”

“I know. The summoner is absolutely enamored with you..”

“What’s your name?” Corrin ignored the comment.

The man looked at him again and raised an eyebrow. “Niles. I serve your brother Leo.”

Corrin’s face brightened, and he gave Niles a soft smile. “It’s nice to meet you. So, what am I like to you?”

“Pardon me?” Seeming startled again, Niles shifted to the side.

“You must know who I am, if you’re saying all this. Are we friends where you come from?” Tilting his head, Corrin watched a myriad of emotions flood Niles’ face. Uncertainty, sadness, fear, apprehension… He seemed like he didn’t want to answer this question, but Corrin closed the distance between them with light footsteps. “I would like to know. I barely feel like a real person sometimes.” That made Niles look even worse, and his hand twitched upwards for a moment.

“We... “ He started, but stopped as he was bumped into from behind. He turned, seeing a young girl hugging around his waist and rubbing her face into his cloak. She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “Papa! Nina said daddy was here and he was wearing something super pretty!”

Niles’ eye widened and he drew back slightly. Corrin peered from behind him at the child, interested in the person that was the same size as Azura. Niles tried to hide Corrin slightly, turning to her and holding her shoulders. “Kana… He’s here, but--”

The girl looked over to Corrin, smile widening as she threw herself at him. Corrin, startled, held his arms out to his sides, staring at the girl called Kana curiously. He glanced to Niles, expression settling into panic as he had no idea who this girl was or what to do about it. Niles stood quietly, not knowing what to do either.

“Oh, daddy, your clothes look like auntie Azura’s! It’s so pretty! Can I have something like that?” She tilted her head, hands grasped in Corrin’s clothes as she looked him up and down. Corrin could feel sweat on the back of his neck, mind swirling. Papa? Dad? Niles and him were both this child’s parents? He couldn’t understand, he barely knew who any of these people were, and now he apparently had a child?

“Corrin.” Came Niles’ voice, surprisingly steady but soft. The prince looked up, getting increasingly more frantic as he tried to wrap his head around this. He wanted to run away, thoughts jumbled with too many assumptions and questions. He stared into Niles’ face, looking for any hint, but all he got was a warm hand on his shoulder. It rested there for a few moment, until Niles turned down to Kana.

“It’s time to go, troublemaker. Leave daddy alone for a while, he’s in a mood.” His tone was teasing, carefully hiding his tense body language. Kana turned to him, taking his outstretched hand with a quirked eyebrow. “Aw, okay. Feel better daddy!” And she waved while Niles led her away. Corrin felt a tug in his gut, like he wanted to follow them and take Kana’s hand. Some part of him wanted to belong there, to fit into this puzzle of a family he didn’t even know. The feeling was overwhelming and he almost did chase after them, but stopped himself. Maybe other people could help him figure out what to do.

====

Corrin decided to asking his Nohrian siblings, assuming his Hoshidan relatives wouldn’t care to know who Niles was, and decided to go to Xander. The Crown Prince was gentle, understanding that he was out of sorts due to odd circumstances. They currently sat in the castle’s dining hall, a plate of scones and odd-flavored tea between them. Corrin nibbled at a pastry, swinging his feet underneath him.

“You want to know about Niles? Can’t you ask Leo about these matters?” Xander mused, raising an eyebrow and handing Corrin a napkin. Corrin took it, wiping around his mouth somewhat messily. “Yes, I probably could, but I don’t think he’s comfortable with me right now.”

Xander titled his head slightly. “What makes you say so? We all care about you, Corrin.”

Gaze listing to the side, Corrin gave a somewhat sad smile. “I’m not exactly your Corrin. But I want to be. And I apparently have daughters? With Niles? I want to know.”

He stared hopefully at Xander, trying to make himself look far more sadder. It was easy to butter Xander up he found, a simple puppy face and the man would drop anything to take care of him. It was quite endearing, honestly, it made Corrin want to coddle him for no reason. Xander looked at him in an amused fashion, a slight smile tugging at his lips. He leaned more comfortably in the chair, resting his hands in his lap.

“We were all taken for a loop when you started to spend your time in Niles’ company. I don’t know the man very well myself, but despite his crude tongue he is very gentle with you. When we were at war in… our world, we sent our children to the Deeprealms to keep them safe. You and Niles however, waited for peace until you adopted children from the Deeprealms. He is surprisingly caring towards them, absolutely doting.” Xander spoke of it fondy, smiling. “Your daughter Nina gets along quite well with Leo’s son and Odin’s daughter. They are his own little retainers.”

Corrin felt a swell of pride, but also a wistful ache in his chest. He wanted what this other Corrin had so very much, but it was out of reach. His hands grasped at nothing, and the weight of his own lack of self was making him drown.

“Oh, hey, daddy.” A voice spoke up from behind them, both Corrin and Xander turning to the source. It was a young woman, her pale blonde hair held up in pigtails, her ruby eyes looking strikingly like Corrin’s. She came over to the tablet, taking a scone and sitting close to Corrin. “Papa said you were acting funny, but you look okay.” Her tone was worried, and Corrin was desperately trying to place a name to her face.

Xander interjected quickly, giving a little cough. “Nina, Corrin’s memories aren’t all sound. We will have to be patient with him.”

Oh, Nina. His other daughter. She had her other father’s darker skin but Corrin’s eyes and hair, which seemed to tuft up from her head in a similar way to both her parent’s. Nina looked at Corrin, her expression wilting.

“You’re the only Corrin that’s my dad, so you should hurry up and remember.” She seemed to huff, turning away and hurrying away out of sight. Corrin simply blinked, not knowing what to think of the confrontation. Xander let out a laugh, and Corrin turned to him.

“Usually she’s at your hip. She blames Niles for certain circumstances unknown to me but you were always clear of blame. To see her acting that way with you is quite a surprise.” The Crown Prince explained, taking note of the scones that had mysteriously vanished from the plate. Corrin squirmed in his chair. “I’m not the same one as hers. Would one that knows all of you be here? There’s so many heroes.”

Sighing, Xander folded his arms. “The summoner says so, but we haven’t encountered him. There’s so many other heroes that it is usually by chance when one is summoned. We will just have to be patient.”

Corrin looked down to the floor, seeing the cloak about his shoulders skimming the tiles, but miraculously staying clean. “I don’t want to intrude upon their lives. But I do yearn for something like that. A family, some other place to belong.”

A hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Xander giving him a fond look. “If the one that is theirs is summoned, please do not hesitate to ask to share it with them. You are Corrin all the same, and we all realize this. Your place is where you feel most comfortable.”

Biting his lip, Corrin simply nodded, trusting Xander.

====

Deciding the best way to learn about his family was the one person in it who would be the most patient with him, Corrin decided to find out where Kana had gone. He meandered around the castle, peeking into nooks and crannies, small rooms, much too big rooms, ones in various decoration he didn’t recognize, until finally he came upon the area where other Nohrian children had gathered. Nina was there, surrounded by two other young women all talking amongst themselves. Kana and a young boy who looked strikingly similar to her yet with much darker hair paraded through an array of blocks stacked into quite the impressive tower. Corrin huffed, steeling himself for Nina’s inevitable protection of her younger sister, and walked over to the apparent twins.

Kana looked up, face lighting up once she saw him. She dashed over, throwing herself at him. “Daddy! Will you play with us? This is also Kana, but he says Corrin is his mommy!” The young boy pouted, standing up and folding his arms. “She is my mommy! Just ‘cause you have a daddy one doesn’t mean there’s only a daddy one!”

“Oh yeah? Well then where’s your daddy?”

“He’s not here! I dunno where he is. But my papa and big sister can turn into biiiiig wolves! I bet Nina can’t do that.” Kana number two said proudly, grinning from ear to pointy ear. Corrin’s Kana gripped his hand tightly, sticking her tongue out stubbornly. She proceeded to ignore her twin, looking up at Corrin with sparkling eyes. “Well, will you play with us?” The other Kana tossed away his haughty mood, going over to Corrin and grabbing his free hand. “Yeah, you can play with us. Help us build a castle!”

Having not gotten a word in at all, Corrin simply smiled, nodding his head. “Sure, I’d love to help.” He let himself be dragged over to the pile of blocks, picking some up and looking them over. The Kanas were steadily and meticulously building up, putting certain blocks in certain places. Corrin could tell they were aiming for some kind of design, and he didn’t know what, so obviously best to ask. “What is the castle going to look like?”

The two little Kanas turned, giving him a confused look. “The Castle at home, of course. Kraken…. Kraken-something. Uncle Xander knows how to say it.” Kana number two pointed out, going back to building. Realizing he didn’t recall what the castle looked like, Corrin’s face fell. His Kana noticed his mood dampening, and with a few looks between him and the blocks, she asked, her voice steady, “Do you wanna build a fantasy castle? Doesn’t hafta look like anything.”

His daughter was very perceptive it seemed, and Corrin smiled. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.” He beamed, grabbing a few blocks and joining in on the fun. 

Nina watched from where she sat, leaning her elbow on her knee. She knew something was wrong with her one father, but he seemed to be absolutely harmless. She was just afraid that he was going to be like Morgan’s dad, all nasty and with a personality unrecognizable. But this Corrin had the same smile she loved, the same calm patience with her and Kana, but he had no memory of them. He must be from a different time or place in his world’s timeline, as some of the other people she knew from her world were.

“Nina, is something the matter?” Said one of the girls next to her, and Nina turned with a huff. “My dad is over there playing with my sister. You’re lucky your dad is… normal, Ophelia. He remembers who you are.”

“Oh, come now, he shines like an ethereal butterfly with that smile he gives! What is not to love about him? And look how he plays with Kana, so pleasant and kind!” Ophelia beamed, looking over at the little trio amongst the blocks.

“Even if he doesn’t remember, he looks like he’s trying. I think he really wants to have your approval! We can’t all have the super best relationship with our dads like I do.” Soleil mused, balancing a little stack of stray blocks on her head. Ophelia pouted at her. “Me and my father are even better! The duo of Odin Dark and Ophelia Dusk shines brighter than any sun or star!”

Nina looked over at her sister and Corrin, feeling left out. She loved her father unconditionally, both of them, despite her rough start with Niles. Now she just liked to mess with him for fun. With another huff, and got up, giving a wave to her friends before walking over to her family. Kana saw her approach, grinning and flashing her little sharp teeth. “Nina Nina! Are you gonna play with us?”

“Sure, I’m better at blocks than daddy is.” Nina giggled, sitting on the floor close to her sister. Corrin gave her an sad look, and she felt her heart break just a little. She scooted closer to him, cuddling up to his shoulder. “But he has the better imagination.” 

Finally Corrin smiled at her, cheeks flushing with happiness. “I’ll do the best I can.”

====

Niles hadn’t seen his daughters all day. Usually at some point he got bothered by one of them, and he would send them off to do better things after indulging them for a bit. But having not seen either of them at all was a rarity. Going looking for them, he ran into Corrin’s maid, who was walking with a tray piled high with snacks. He sidled up next to her, taking a mini lemon tart and popping it into his mouth.

“Niles! That’s not for you.” Felicia grumbled, pursing her lips and trying so very hard not to trip. Niles shrugged his shoulders, walking beside her. “Looked tasty. I always appreciate your baking, Felicia.” He beamed mischievously at her, and she sighed with a smile. Back home, he had gotten along quite well with Felicia after a while. After having married Corrin, he saw her almost as often as his husband. He rolled his eyes when she would trip or mess something up, but she loved Corrin and could be surprisingly sharp-witted.

“Where are you off to with this plate of little sweets. Did Kana ask for them?” Niles then asked, deciding to follow her to find out where his youngest daughter had run off to. Felicia shook her head. “I saw Kana and Nina playing with Lord Corrin, so I decided to bring them something! A little surprise!” She smiled sheepishly, and Niles’ eye widened. So they were playing with this new Corrin were they? He wanted to see.

They made idle chat, until Felicia popped into the room that many of the younger heroes took to playing in. Niles poked his head in after her, covering his mouth to quiet his laugh. Corrin was running around, both Kanas gripping onto his arms, his cape billowing behind him dramatically. One Kana was cheering for Corrin to run faster, enthralled by Corrin’s clothes. Nina, Soleil and Ophelia seemed to be pretending to be evil knights, brandishing wooden swords and looking quite disheveled. They were all laughing and smiling, sweating with the effort of pleasing the littlest children.

Felicia was about to step through the doorway, but began to topple over as her foot caught on a few blocks and toys. She wobbled and looked about to upend to tray, but Niles, quite used to doing so, swooped in. He caught the plate and scooped Felicia around the waist so she wouldn’t fall over to the floor, letting out a held-in breath of relief. All eyes turned to the doorway, and Kana waved at him atop Corrin’s shoulders, her smile bright. “Papa! Papa, come play with us!”

Chuckling, Niles walked in with Felicia, putting the tray on a table. “I’d take over, but I just ate far too many of these delicious tarts, I would get a tummy ache.”

Both Kanas’ ears perked up, saying in unison, “Tarts?” The leapt from Corrin, who collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor. Nina went over to him and helped him up, smiling at him and giggling. Niles’ heart leapt, and he decided then and there that even if this Corrin wasn’t part of the right timeline, he loved him. He loved him unbearably so. Walking over as the children ran to Felicia, who tried to delegate how many tarts were eaten, Niles chuckled softly. Nina gave him a look, one of understanding, and with a simple little huff, reluctantly let go of Corrin’s arm to join her sister.

Corrin looked up at Niles, red eyes wide. “Hello, Niles. I’m sorry, I’ve been playing with them for a few hours.” He seemed apologetic, but Niles tutted.

“Why are you apologizing? They’re your brats.”

“Are they, though?”

“They can be.”

Staring at him in surprise, Corrin knew what Niles was getting at. He smiled, a big sharp-toothed grin that blew Niles away every time. “Okay. I hope you can be patient with me. I may not behave like your Corrin does, but I feel close to you all the same.”

“Believe me, you behave exactly like him. You’re just…” Niles put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “You’re just a bit more melancholy.”

Kana suddenly ran over, plowing into her fathers and grabbing at them with sticky fingers. “Daddy! Aunty Felicia made my favorite! Blueberry!” she said excitedly, the evidence around her mouth. Corrin kneeled down, taking the corner of his cape and wiping at the crumbs. “I see. Felicia knows you like that one, so she made it just for you. What about Papa’s favorite?” He beamed at her, watching her fidget excitedly.

“There’s pumpkin cakes and lemon tarts! Papa likes those ones! And Felicia made raspberry for you!” She explained, pointing over to the tray as she dashed back over.

Niles raised an eyebrow, lips curving into a smile. “Ooh, how clever. She’ll tell you all my little secrets.” 

Corrin shrugged his shoulders, standing up. “I’ll fit in to this little puzzle with time. She’s a treasure trove of information.” He reached forwards, taking Niles’ hand in one of his own, squeezing it. He felt Niles squeeze back and his chest grew warm. It felt nice to be wanted, and to be accepted. With how things ended up, it surprised Corrin to be held so readily by Niles, but he figured Niles had been lonely, too. It wasn’t just cause Corrin was some random person dropped into his lap, but he took any Corrin as his own, his love unconditional.

“I missed you.” Niles then mumbled, rubbing a thumb along Corrin’s knuckles. Smiling, Corrin laughed softly, eyes filled with mirth. “I’m here.”


End file.
